Concrete

Emerging trends in precast is indicative of way forward

Published

6 years ago

January 6, 2020

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Prashant Jha, Chief RMX, Nuvoco Vistas

What are the emerging trends in precast?
Depending on the load-bearing structure of the building, some of the emerging trends in precast systems are:
Large-panel systems: The designation "large-panel system" refers to multistory structures composed of large wall and floor concrete panels connected in the vertical and horizontal directions so that the wall panels enclose appropriate spaces for the rooms within a building.

Frame systems: Precast frames can be constructed using either linear elements or spatial beam-column sub-assemblages. Precast beam-column sub-assemblages have the advantage that the connecting faces between the sub-assemblages can be placed away from the critical frame regions; however, linear elements are generally preferred because of the difficulties associated with forming, handling, and erecting spatial elements.

Slab-column systems with shear walls: These systems rely on shear walls to sustain lateral load effects, whereas the slab-column structure resists mainly gravity loads. There are two main systems in this category:

Lift-slab system with walls
Prestressed slab-column system

Modular system: In case of smaller single units, this system is helpful. Some of the advantages are;

Entire unit is cast in a factory and installed at site.
Suitable for toilet blocks or individual rooms
Monolithic casting guarantees waterproofing at junctions

In precast, which segment do you cater to the most?
Nuvoco has contributed and provided solutions to the Infrastructure, mainly Mass Rapid Transit System such as the Noida Metro and the Mumbai Metro projects.

Noida metro project: Nuvoco supplied 243,700 CuM of concrete for Noida Metro, for its NC 01 -elevated viaduct and 8 elevated stations, and NC 02 – elevated viaduct and 7 elevated stations. 3 dedicated captive plants were set up for the project with a concrete output of 250 CuM/hr, with one plant for the casting of U girders. The main challenges included on time productivity, de-shuttering and lifting of the precast modules, controlling the temperature and shrinkage, and aesthetic finish. Each of the girders were with the specification of 5 m wide, 27 m long, with a height of 1.8 m, a thickness of 150 – 200mm, and a volume of 50 – 60 CuM. This was pre-stressed, using 52 to 109 cables as per design. Nuvoco used its high performance early strength concrete, Robuste, of M55 Grade, for the project, ensuring the U Girders achieved a strength of 12 – 14 Mpa at 12 hrs for early de-shuttering. As a result, it successfully erected 200 U-shaped girders in May 2016.

Mumbai metro project: The Mumbai Metro Line – 3, connecting Cuffe Parade to SEEPZ, with 26 underground stations and one at-grade station. The requirement was for package 4, that comprised the three underground stations. Nuvoco set up a captive plant at the site, along with a transit mixer, for the production of 2,48,000 CuM of concrete. This was used for the construction of 6082 m twin bored tunnels with a diameter of 5.80 m. The tunnel sections are 1.4 m long, 1 m wide, and 275 mm in height, with a volume of 1.4 m3. Precast was used to provide a protective lining and reinforcement to the structure. The primary challenge was supplying high early strength concrete of 12 Mpa at 12 hrs without steam curing for de-shuttering. Insert. The project also needed to ensure extremely low Chloride penetration and migration to offer a service life of 150 Years, along with controlled shrinkage, and a customised aesthetic finish. Nuvoco has been able to address these needs by using a combination of two of its products, Instante and Robuste, of M50 Grade.

The industry took a leap with smart products in cement. Can you elaborate on the smart product portfolio of Nuvoco?
Nuvoco’s offers 14 ready-mix concrete products and their variants. They can be customised to suit any specific construction need and provide multiple benefits. Our concrete flagship brands encompass:

Agile, the self-compacting and self-consolidating concrete with a high-quality surface finish
Artiste, a range of decorative concrete that combines freedom of design with low maintenance and high durability.
Xlite, the low-density concrete that reduces structural weight and lowers thermal conductivity.
InstaMix, our ready-to-use bagged concrete and mortar offerings are designed to deliver cost-effective, easy-to-use construction solution in any location.

– RENJINI LIZA VARGHESE

Quote from Dalmia Cement for World Environment Day

Mahendra Singhi, MD & CEO, Dalmia Cement Bharat Limited, who is best known for being an avid advocate of sustainability, said, "The recent crisis, which impacted the entire world, has brought several dramatic changes to the environment from the past two months with a steep fall in global carbon emissions. We have to now explore how – as per our conscious low consumption practices – we can ensure that this reduction is not transient but results in low carbon economy. This crisis has further made all of us to realise that nature is a source of solace, an inspiration, and a teacher and the utmost need to protect it. This Environment Day, let us all come together and commit ourselves to simplest lifestyles as nature tends to act in the simplest way. I believe we still have the opportunity to reshape and redesign our world in a more. Sustainable way and I urge all global players, to not only work towards creating a greener environment, but also healthy lifestyles for all."

Concrete

UltraTech Cement FY26 PAT Crosses Rs 80 bn

Company reports record sales, profit and 200 MTPA capacity milestone

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2026

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UltraTech Cement reported record financial performance for Q4 and FY26, supported by strong volumes, higher profitability and improved cost efficiency. Consolidated net sales for Q4 FY26 rose 12 per cent year-on-year to Rs 254.67 billion, while PBIDT increased 20 per cent to Rs 56.88 billion. PAT, excluding exceptional items, grew 21 per cent to Rs 30.11 billion.

For FY26, consolidated net sales stood at Rs 873.84 billion, up 17 per cent from Rs 749.36 billion in FY25. PBIDT rose 32 per cent to Rs 175.98 billion, while PAT increased 36 per cent to Rs 83.05 billion, crossing the Rs 80 billion mark for the first time.

India grey cement volumes reached 42.41 million tonnes in Q4 FY26, up 9.3 per cent year-on-year, with capacity utilisation at 89 per cent. Full-year India grey cement volumes stood at 145 million tonnes. Energy costs declined 3 per cent, aided by a higher green power mix of 43 per cent in Q4.

The company’s domestic grey cement capacity has crossed 200 MTPA, reaching 200.1 MTPA, while global capacity stands at 205.5 MTPA. UltraTech also recommended a special dividend of Rs 2.40 billion per share value basis equivalent to Rs 240.

Concrete

Towards Mega Batching

Optimised batching can drive overall efficiencies in large projects.

Published

2 days ago

April 28, 2026

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India’s pace of infrastructure development is pushing the construction sector to work at a significantly higher scale than previously. Tight deadlines necessitate eliminating concreting delays, especially in large and mega projects, which, in turn, imply installing the right batching plant and ensuring batching is efficient. CW explores these steps as well as the gaps in India’s batching plant market.

Choose well

Large-scale infrastructure and building projects typically involve concrete consumption exceeding 30,000-50,000 cum per annum or demand continuous, high-volume pours within compressed timelines, according to Rahul R Wadhai, DGM – Quality, Tata Projects.

Considering the daily need for concrete, “large-scale concreting involves pouring more than 1,000–2,000 cum per day while mega projects involve more than 3,000 cum per day,” says Satish R Vachhani, Advanced Concrete & Construction Consultant…

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Concrete

Andhra Offers Discom Licences To Private Firms Outside Power Sector

Policy allows firms over 300 MW to seek distribution licences

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2026

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The Andhra Pradesh government will allow private firms that require more than 300 megawatt (MW) of power to apply for distribution licences, making the state the first to extend such licences beyond the power sector. The policy targets information technology, pharmaceuticals, steel and data centres and aims to reduce reliance on state utilities as demand rises for artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Approved applicants will be able to procure electricity directly from generators through power purchase agreements, a change officials said will create more competitive tariffs and reduce supply risk. Licence holders will use the Andhra Pradesh Transmission Company (APTRANSCO) network on payment of charges and will not need a separate distribution network initially.

Licences will be granted under the Electricity Act, 2003 framework, with the Central and State electricity regulators retaining authority over terms and approvals. The recent Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 sought to lower entry barriers, enable network sharing and encourage competition, while the state commission will set floor and ceiling tariffs where multiple discoms operate.

Industry players and original equipment manufacturers welcomed the policy, saying competitive supply is vital for large data centre investments. Major projects and partnerships such as those involving Adani and Google, Brookfield and Reliance, and Meta and Sify Technologies are expected to benefit as capacity expands in the state.

Analysts noted India’s data centre capacity is forecast to reach 10 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 and cited International Energy Agency estimates that global data centre electricity consumption could approach 945 terawatt hours by the same year. A one GW data centre needs an equivalent power allocation and one point five times the water, which authorities equated to 150 billion litres (150 bn litres).

Advisers warned that distribution licences will require close regulation and monitoring to prevent misuse and to ensure tariffs and supply obligations are met. Officials said the policy aims to balance investor requirements with regulatory oversight and could serve as a model for other states.